Friday, September 4, 2009

Buñuelo

A Nica favorite and a pretty delicious little fritter. My family in Carazo taught me to fill my plate because the buñuelos will be gone when it is time for seconds...

The recipe is simple, like so many great edible creations. Peel, rinse, and proceed to shred raw yucca root (aprox. 8x 4 inch long root pieces). One can shred by hand or using some sort of food processor. Next, grind or mash the yucca into a paste with some cuajada (essentially Nicaraguan cheese curd/fresh cheese) or soft salted cheese. I would substitute with ricotta in the States. In Nicaragua, the mashing step is done with a hand operated mill--a meat grinder really--although I have yet to see a family use this tool to grind meat. I´ve seen many things ground, except meat, and I really hope meat doesn´t touch these things b/c of the sanitation implications.

Salt the resulting mixture to taste; the final product has a nice contrast of sweet and salty. Add one large egg to moisten and bind; mix well. The ´masa´or soft dough should be fairly thick and slightly sticky. The family tells me that this is the home made (casera) recipe...the fritters sold in the market are made with some added flour to make them less expensive (like filler). Spoonfuls of the starchy mixture are deep fried. but a pan fry will probably be sufficient. Fry until golden brown.

When the buñuelos are cool to the touch, these little yucca doughnuts are eaten with honey or a cinammon spiced simple syrup...deliciosos.

Next time I hope to explore Gallo Pinto, Nica style fried rice and beans. And in the near future I hope to share some of the traditional corn recipes I am learning.

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aventures gastronomiques

food is meant to be shared. so i have joined the ranks of the many bloggers who have already shared so many of their appetizing adventures. now i hope to share some of the experiences i have in the kitchen and some of the new foodie knowledge that i acquire while eating my way through life...